Petra is the ancient Jordanian city famous for its rock-cut Treasury.
The Nabataeans established Petra as a major settlement and trading centre in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Its location between the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Egypt, and the Mediterranean helped it control important caravan routes.
The structure popularly called the Treasury is known in Arabic as Al-Khazneh. Despite its name, archaeologists do not believe it was a literal treasury; it was probably a monumental tomb or ceremonial building. Its façade was carved directly into sandstone.
Petra became widely known in the West after Johann Ludwig Burckhardt visited it in 1812. UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage Site in 1985, and it became one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a 2007 public vote.